meet the composers 2022
Ana Krstajic · ScoreLive winner 2022 · Serbia
Born and raised in Serbia, I grew up in a musical family. My father is composer and producer of pop and alternative music while my mom was always a big fan of music; she played piano, sang and now actively collaborates with my dad, writing lyrics for his songs. I am very much grateful to my parents for guiding me in a good musical direction since I was a child; they had great taste in music so I was growing up listening to classics as Beatles, Elvis Presley, Etta James, Miles Davis but also Erykah Badu, Joe Zawinul, Weather Report and a lot of world music.
Although I was mostly surrounded by funk and jazz music while I grew up, the movies introduced me to the grand orchestral sound that I fell in love with. Through film I actually came across the works of classical composers from the 20th century that influenced me the most as a writer. After the first live performance of the Rite of Spring that I heard while I was in high school, I knew that I want to try to write music that can evoke the same feeling I had while listening to Stravinsky’s work. It was the feeling of freedom.
Since then I have attended Music Academy in Belgrade at the Composition Apartment. I was lucky to have the remarkable composition professor who guided me so that I could develop my composing skills while nurturing my own voice. At the time I have listened to the music of other geniuses form the 20th century classical scene such as Messiaen, Ligeti, Prokofiev, Scriabin and Ravel who completely cemented my desire to compose. Since graduating from Berklee College of Music Master’s I am trying to compose for as many different kind of projects and media because having that kind of variety excites me the most, and gives me the chance to express myself within different forms.
For the past 4 years I have scored several short films, a few feature films and documentaries but also I have worked with orchestras and chamber ensembles for the concert commissions and at the same time I am actively working for theater and contemporary dance performances. I would truly love to be able to work like this as long as I can, to be involved in different kind of media, because it brings me pure joy and excitement having to adapt and learn new stuff with every new project.
Hugh Downs · USA
Hello, my name is Hugh Downs. I am a young jazz musician and aspiring film composer from the United States of America. Currently, I am majoring in Jazz Studies at Michigan State University (MSU).
Some interesting facts about me; in 2020, I was selected by MSU CREATE! Micro-Grant Program to respond critically and imaginatively to events occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic. My winning project, the composition “Here We Go Again,” was presented in two parts, an impactful solo guitar performance of the piece intimately staged for a live recording and a personal message of resilience to listeners as a creative work on paper. This project reflected on the fight for social justice in the Black Lives Matter movement, allowing me to produce art that responds to the many struggles of the pandemic and acts of police brutality.
Recently, I was named Arts and Humanities Division 1st place winner by the 2022 MSU University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum for my undergraduate research and creative activity, a virtual presentation titled “Music: An Early Jazz Musician’s Journey Into Film Scoring,” documenting my personal experience with composing for film. You should know that I am a jazz musician whose focus is not solely on composing jazz songs for cinema; rather, a Jazz composer conveying in film orchestration.
I believe that my approach to writing orchestrations for film stems from my study and experience as a jazz guitarist who writes and performs live. The meaningful conversation between melody, rhythms, and tones, which are the bases of jazz, is a part of each orchestral narrative I create organically, without intention.
I love the ability to create a dialogue between the instruments. You will find my scores to be simple and still, giving the audience time to process what they feel and see on screen.
As a GEMS Composer Scholar, I simply want to get stronger at writing for film. My goal is to work with remarkable orchestration and composition tutors while being a student of jazz.
David Cerquett · Italy
Hello, my name is David Cerquetti and I am a composer from Italy. I am a huge film buff and love everything to do with movies. However, Instead of leaning towards cinematography or yearning to become a film director, I decided to become a film score composer. Music creates depth in cinema; it has the incredible ability to add something that the screen otherwise lacks. But apart from my love for movies, I have a keen interest in telling stories with my music.
I love mixing the classic orchestral style with modern techniques and I leap at any opportunity to experiment and explore new genres. In addition to my determination and perseverance, curiosity is one of the most important qualities that I have cultivated over the years as well as my desire to work with people, to create friendships and make connections. I always try to bring my passion with me, in everything I do, make it personal, create happiness and spread it into the world.
I particularly love animation, fairy-tales and the way they allow me to play with extremes of darkness and light in my music. I shall admit to having always had an obsession with both Disney and Pixar movies, but I'm also a huge fan of historical and period dramas.
Up until now I have spent my studies improving my skills in orchestration and composition. I studied at the prestigious Accademia Musicale Chigiana with Maestro Salvatore Sciarrino, one of the best-known contemporary composers. At the end of the course I obtained the diploma of merit, an honor awarded to a select few students throughout the history of the academy.
From 2019 I have a solid activity throughout Italy and wrote music for more than 50 concerts.
In 2022 I debuted as a conductor in a concert featuring my music and I was hired to assist professors Lawrence Shragge, Patrick Kirst, orchestrator Pete Anthony and Oscar-nominated composer Marco Beltrami at the Chigiana Film Scoring Intensive Summer Program in Siena. Finally, in one of my proudest achievements up until now, in 2022 I was hired for my first feature film, an international production titled "Hunting Ava Bravo", starring renowned Mexican actress Kate Del Castillo.
I am really honored to receive the GEMS Composer Scholarship Award for attending the film scoring program in Madrid this year. I'm looking forward to meeting a lot of great mentors composers.
Renatto Nuñez · Peru
It has been almost 7 years since I left my natal town and family to start studying music in one of the best universities in Peru, and I would be lying if I say I had always had my goal and decisions clear. However, these last months have shown me that with my talent and my passion for film, videogames and music, I can do whatever I propose myself to do. Recently, I have been through several experiences as musician and human being that helped me to discover how high is the bar for film composers, how much I still must improve, and how far I can go if proposed myself to.
I started my career with an internship in a company called The Audio Hive, where I see by first-hand how pro-composers work but, most importantly, how humans they actually are, which was an experience that helped me to open my mind and horizons. After that, due to the pandemic situation, I had to leave the company just when I was starting to be a formal employee.
That was a hard moment in my life, but I took the decision to keep going and make myself a place in this industry. Started working as freelancer, I achieved several goals that I feel proud of, like doing my first feature film or seeing an animation short film I worked on being recognize by different international festivals and press; but I have to admit that this recent part of my life has mostly been marked with rejections and constant searching of my place. Being rejected by the master programs
I applied to shown me how much I still have to learn and improve as musician and composer, and instead of taking it as a giving up point in my life, I decided to work harder to become the best composer I can be, and aside the insane amount of time and effort those tasks take, I just cannot imagen myself happier than I am now.
This whole exploration and improvement stage is the reason why I am joining the GEMS program, I am fascinating about the experience of the tutors, the program structure and how much I will learn from them. I really hope to bring my best to the program, and I am really excited for this experience.
Bekircan Şengezer · ScoreLive Finalist 2022
I am 25 years old, I am a young composer passionate about film Scoring industry. I graduated from Marmara University Faculty of Fine Arts - Composition department in Istanbul-Turkey. I am currently developing myself for my ideals and dreams.
Throughout my school life, I tried to write compositions with as many different musical genres and styles as possible. I've written compositions for national contemporary Turkish music, chamber music, orchestral works, chorale pieces and solo instruments. Composing has always been the focus of my life for me.
I have an incredible passion, especially about film music. Because in cinema, the dramatic harmony of music with the scene and its influence on human psychology have always deeply influenced me. In addition, the fact that the Film music is actually the unifying point of all music genres has been the thing that has attracted me the most. Baroque, classical, romantic, contemporary, jazz, rock, electronic, hybrid structures, etc.. whatever comes to your mind. Working in all these genres is an amazing adventure for the development of a composer. That's why I feel part of this profession. So far, I have had experiences working with many independent filmmakers and writing music for short films and trailers.
As a finalist in this year's Scorelive 2022 competition, I am on the second place winners list. It was a great experience for me. I am very happy to have met the ScoreLive team. I plan to pursue a master's degree in film scoring for the continuation of my career in the coming years. I still continue to improve myself on this path. Like every young composer, it is my biggest dream to succeed on this path.
Emil Huckle-Kleve · UK/Norway
I am absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity of attending this amazing course. I come from a classical background and currently work primarily as a violinist based in Oslo, Norway. However I have always been interested in composition and in recent years it has become equally as important to me as my violin playing. I find it a liberating experience which has helped me to continue developing as an artist.
My first attempts at writing music were at secondary school in the UK when I wrote a couple of string pieces inspired by French impressionism and my own set of variations on Paganini’s 24th caprice for solo violin which I performed myself. During the coronavirus pandemic I started writing pop songs, a string quartet and some piano pieces, one of which was performed live in concert as a piano quintet arrangement.
Since then I have developed a strong interest in film music and greatly enjoy the accessibility of this type of composition. I find it fascinating that the music can give a film such a different atmosphere depending on which approach is taken. In general I strive to be original in my writing and enjoy taking inspiration from many different styles from classic to pop, jazz, folk and more experimental music.
I try to learn something from every new genre I encounter and believe that originality comes from a culmination of influences which the composer can merge into their own style.
Rebecca Boyd · USA
I started composing music after going through a particularly challenging time, because I wanted to try to make sense out of something so painful, but to also honor all the beauty in all of it too. I have always heard melodies inside of my head since I was little. And I have been composing as a way to express the wonder I see in life and to try to work through difficult situations and find answers through the music. I feel more fluent in music as a language and expressing what I feel inside rather than through any other language. It is the only place I feel seen and heard.
I am new to film composition, but have been writing electronic dance music (EDM) for the past eight years, in addition to learning about music production. What I love about EDM is that it’s just such a BIG LOVE all-encompassing feeling. Every piece of it feels big. It’s a huge love, and I love that everyone is feeling that love at the same time, and that everyone can come together with the music feeling greater than anything. I love how EDM can fill every space of your body, it overpowers any pain, and everyone can become One within feeling loved and giving love back out into the world.
It really is about the love, and that’s why I want to compose music, because I just want to love people. I always wanted to be a musician because I felt I could show people I loved them when I played music for them. I felt in that moment that I could really connect with them without any other barriers. I felt that between the people, the music and myself that we could connect in that moment and space and that they knew I loved them.
I have melodies inside of me and I just feel compelled to bring them out into the world to see if it might help other people through some of their pain and bring them joy. It’s my form of Light, and I want to shine it on the world. Everything I have ever written was to help me cope with something very painful, and I was hoping that it would help others be able to cope with those same kinds of feelings.
Ana Barón Carral · Spain
Ana Beyron is a prolific young talented composer from Madrid, Spain. Ana debuted with "The Curse of the Butterfly", an opera composed with voice and electronic music mixed with images and dance based on F.G.Lorca theatre work. The Opera generated interest in many music personalities of Spain. It was viewed at the Premiere of the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain. It ́s International Premiere was in Munich, at the Munich Music Video Awards festival (Germany).The opera also won the awards: Best Art Music Video and Best Movie song/ album at the Parai Musical International Awards (india).
She ́s the Music Director of Enheduahanna Ensemble, a music group formed by: Stéphane Genay (cello), Susana Gómez Vázquez (piano), Mónica Caballero (voice), Carolina Hengstenberg (saxophone). As a pianist, Ana has formed part of the I,II and III International Chamber Music Festival “Hinves” and participated in IX, X, XI and XII International Music Segovia City Courses in IE University, Segovia.
Ana ́s Music interests go further in Cinema, combining both image and sound. In 2021 she ́s selected to be part of Female Direction FilmShadowing Program organised by Netflix. Ana has received many prizes all over the world. She has recently shot a shortfilm in Dürres, Albany which was recently viewed at the Theatre of Alexsunder Moisiu and the Tulla Culture Center of Tiräne.She also has worked for Desigual and Estee Lauder being part of Borromei S.L.
She has composed the music of the following shortfilms: My Tenderness (ECAM) (directed by herself), Silence (TAI) and Lullaby (U-Tad) directed by Ana Mendicote, There are no clouds at Summer directed by Alejandra Beyron, Yaya directed by Jorge, Cuenca Remains directed by Arturo Mombiedro.
This program is a solid step towards my career as a composer who understands and appreciates the different ways to make music. In addition, it offers you the possibility to meet musicians around the world who have the same interests as you. As a matter of fact, I believe that the opportunity to receive feedback from Christopher Young is very valuable since it allows you to learn from a professional and active music composer point of view.
One of the principles which I stand as a composer is the effort and courage composers need to have to lift up their composition projects. As a composer who has worked in the field of cinema, I like to start my projects from the point of view of art and creation. I sustain the idea that each piece of music has to contribute to art in some way. Being in this program would allow me to see other works and discover who are their creators. Talking to other musicians can be very useful and motivational to one when there is an interchange of experiences between each-other.
Leia Sofia Mendez · GEMS Alumni · USA
Leia Sofia is a junior at University of Delaware, pursuing a Bachelors of Music in Composition at the School of Music under the instruction of Dr. Jennifer Margaret Barker. She is a classically trained violinist and pianist having studied both instruments for the past 15 years. She is currently studying violin under the instruction of Professor Guillaume Combet.
Leia Sofia arrived at the University of Delaware with a rich background in music theory. She studied music theory through the Trinity College of London program for 11 years attaining certificates of distinction and merit at the advance level. She also studied music composition 3 years prior to her freshmen year at the Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute under the mentorship of Dr. Judah Adashi. Her in depth studies awarded her the Distinguished Music Scholarship for her undergraduate education at the University of Delaware.
Ever since the beginning of her college career, Leia Sofia has taken advantage of the opportunities presented to her to learn and grow as a composer. In the spring of her freshmen year, she was the 1st place winner of the University of Delaware Double Reeds Composition Competition where she composed a musical satire called “I Have Tea.” When the pandemic forced her and everyone around the globe to go into lockdown, she used this opportunity to enrich her musical education. She composed an orchestra piece titled “Hubble’s Wonders” as a tribute for Hubble Space Telescope’s 30th anniversary. This music was used as part of a web seminar hosted by the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA). In the summer of 2020, she was a participant of the Wildflowers Composition Camp, where its purpose is to amplify the voices of gender-marginalized composers. In addition, she collaborated for a second time with ATLYS, an all-female string quartet, with a piece called “Moving Forward” in which she channeled her inner emotions about the pandemic at that time. In the summer of 2021, she was a participant of the GEMS Film Scoring Program where she was challenged to take her orchestration skills to a new level. She composed a piece of music titled
“The Bridge” which was recorded by the Symphonic Orchestra of Spanish Radio Television.
Leia Sofia is looking forward to finishing her undergraduate studies next year in 2023. Her ambitions going forward is to get into a Graduate Program and pursue a Masters Degree in Screen Scoring. Her passion is to establish a career as a Film Composer.
Jeff Markey · ScoreLive Finalist 2022 · USA
My musical journey has been ongoing all my life. Growing up as the youngest of 4 to musical parents (and grandparents), I’ve always loved music. Music was in our home since before I was born. I had no idea what I wanted to do with it. I was a singer and trumpet player in high school, I auditioned and was selected for honors groups. In college, I vacillated between performance and education in my undergrad but ended up earning my BA in Music Education and taught for 4 years in New Jersey public schools. I found a joy in leading worship in churches and went to seminary for that profession in 2012. I’ve always loved writing songs as a hobby but never thought seriously about it until making composition my major for my Master of Music in Church Music there. It wasn’t until last Christmas, when a colleague approached me regarding writing a score for An Angel Story that I learned of my passion and skill for composition for media.
I can recall my high school English teacher encouraging me as a songwriter after she received a creative project from me in lieu of a book report. I can recall my music theory teachers encouraging me to compose more after creating assignments to demonstrate our knowledge and usage of musical devices. I had no idea until now that I would love doing something this much. Maybe it’s because I’m older and can hold my attention for longer periods of time. Maybe it’s because I’ve already had extensive training and experience so I’m prepared to utilize compositional devices with fluency to communicate what’s transpiring on screen. But for all the songs I’ve written over the years, I’m more proud of, and found way more fulfillment in, my short film compositions than any of them.
Dmytro Kosynets · ScoreLive RunnerUp Ukraine
My name is Dmytro Kozynets. I'm a composer based in Kyiv, Ukraine.
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My journey in music composition started in 2013 when I got my first project. I had a chance to compose music for a promotional video of a small law firm.
After a while fortunately I got my first full length movie and since then I became a full time composer.
For the last few years I had a chance to write music in various genres from pop music to electronic but mostly I compose for orchestra.
Currently full time worker in a video games production company and also working on side projects such as films and adverts. One of my latest projects is short animation movie in collaboration with Ukrainian animation studio.
Katherina Hristova · Germany
My name is Katherina Hristova and I currently study composition at The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (UK). I am multinational, my roots lie in Bulgaria although I lived all my life in The Netherlands and Germany, latter where my family has settled down. Music has been a significant part of my life from the age of four, when I started playing recorder. I further developed my musical skills through taking music lessons, both at school and privately - I changed to flute at the age of ten, started piano at the age of twelve and joined the orchestra, big band and choir at school. This type of interaction showed me the sides of a musician ́s life – the fun and rewarding part when performing music but also the consistency and hard work that is needed when aiming that high. Nevertheless, no stones on my path were heavy enough to stop me from dreaming about working professionally in the music industry. I first learned to share the meaning behind music as well as its emotions when playing the piano. Participating at the well renowned German competition “Jugend Musiziert” and winning 3rd prize motivated me to continue developing my musical skills. Doing this presented me the colourful world of music, the world that can express much more than words can. This feeling and the urge and curiosity to throw myself into exploring and conveying my own ideas, thoughts and creativity inspired me to become a composer.
Film music first caught my eye when I watched “Mary Queen of Scots” with music by Max Richter. The rich use of orchestra in combination with lyrical melodies and distinctive percussion motivated me to think more about film music and developing in this promising direction. Visiting masterclasses of my tutor in music of media and film Neil Stemp during my first year of university inspired me to shift my focus to writing music for film and media and learn more about the art of translating visual information into musical ideas. Since then, I have taken part in various projects and collaborated with as many students and artists as possible. One of my first projects include collaborating with students and composing music for a short ballet “Dance Sweet Nightingale” and writing music for a podcast. In addition, I received many exercises from Neil Stemp, taken from existing movies, documentaries, series or short videos, for example BBC ́s documentary about Genghis Khan and “The girl effect – the clock is ticking”. Further recent collaborations include a short, animated video “Dance” and the short film “Resolution” - my first professional collaborations. It was very helpful to gain real insight of how it is to work with directors, and I loved working together with my team and achieving a great result. I was also asked by my tutor if I wanted to score a documentary about a North Korean School in London alongside my tutor and other students, which was a very positive experience, because it allowed me to be musically creative and experiment with sounds and instruments under the supervision of a professional.
Next to film music I also write art and pop songs and enjoy experimenting and trying out new combinations and ideas, for example how to merge contemporary classical music with a more tonal and traditional approach. I like to involve my multinational heritage into my music to give it a unique note as well as use a harmonically rich language.
For my exciting future I will aim to get more experience in writing for film and media and building more contacts within the industry. I want to gain more knowledge in certain areas, for example mixing, mastering and orchestration for the technical side of film music which I want to learn through a mix of practical and theoretical experience by visiting masterclasses, courses, talk to film composers and of course with the help of books. Composition wise I look forward to increasing my pallet of skills by scoring many films and videos and collaborating with directors. After finishing my bachelor ́s degree in composition at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, I plan to start a Master ́s Degree and specialise in Music for Film and Media so that it can help me find my place in this humongous but vibrating, exciting and promising industry.
Riccardo Zangirolami · Italy
Hi guys, this is Riccardo Zangirolami from Italy. I am 20 years old and play the piano since I was 6. I started arranging and composing music seriously later on when I was 15.
After my academic studies at the Conservatory “G. Verdi” of Milan, in 2018 I began studying Orchestration with the American orchestrator Conrad Pope, who worked for Maestro John Williams in the highest-grossing films such as Star Wars, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones.
In 2019 I arranged a piece for piano - 8 hands that was played at Italia’s Got Talent. Active also as a composer and orchestrator, in 2019 I began a collaboration with Israeli composer Nitzan Sagie orchestrating his music for a Production Music album distributed by Warner/ Chappell Music. In 2019 I joined film scoring masterclass with illustrious composer Christopher Young.
From 2020 I started a collaboration with Ennio Morricone’s son, Andrea Morricone, arranging and playing some of his music; an album by Andrea and Riccardo will be distributed during the next months.
I’ve been invited to Los Angeles to master the art of conducting film music with live picture under the guidance of Hollywood’s finest film music arrangers and conductors such as Conrad Pope and Williams Ross, and to record my own music at Fox Studios conducting prestigious Hollywood Studio Symphony Orchestra, which performed in the highest-grossing film scores such as Jaws, E.T., Forrest Gump, Pirates of the Caribbean, and many others.
Why did I started arranging and composing new music when I was 15? Because I started considering what they call “classical music” just as a starting point, and it was not my aim anymore. My Bachelor’s Degree earned at the Conservatory helped me building some strong, solid, musical foundations, but what I am most concerned about now is: what am I going to build over those foundations? Well, that’s the best part of discovering your own artistic personality, and here I find all the fun part of the job. I am looking forward to live what the future will bring to me. To quote Matthew McConaughey... just keep livin’.
Susanna Syrjäläinen · Finland
My name is Susanna Syrjäläinen and I come from Finland.
I work in a variety of ways as a cellist, singer, songwriter, arranger, orchestra and theatre musician, cello teacher and studio musician. I studied cello in Turku Arts Academy and Sibelius Academy where I graduated as Master of Music in 2017.
Besides classical music I’ve always been interested in other music genres. Currently I’m studying Music writing and production in Metropolia University of Applied Sciences where I’m focused mostly in pop music.
I experience music very visually and that’s why I’m interested in learning film scoring. I’ve never composed anything for such a large instrumental ensemble as symphony orchestra so I’m super nervous though very excited.
Kamil Bicgel · ScoreLive Finalist 2022 · France
Hello, my name is Kamil Bicgel and I am a film composer from France. I always had a huge love for music. For me, its role is more important and impressive than just creating emotions. It makes the image say what cannot be seen and gives it strength.
When I discovered the musical comedy La La Land in a cinema, it was a revelation for me. I wanted to write for screen and I immediately knew that this is what I wanted to live for. Score for image. I like to create emotions and to tell stories just with my notes. I like to surprise the audience and listeners with my music. I want that the music I create go beyond images and words. My ambition is to create my own style of composition and to be recognized just by listening to my music. I also had the chance to score music for several genres of movies: action, drama, thriller, musical comedy...
I am now improving my composition, orchestration and harmony techniques in French conservatories and private schools, but I think that evolving along with known composers of the GEMS formation is a huge opportunity for me. One more step for the realization of my dream. I look forward to meet all the mentors and composers at this film scoring program in Madrid.
Paul Schmidt · Switzerland
Hi, my name is Paul and I am a musician studying in Zurich, Switzerland.
I was born in Salzburg and lived most of my life in Basel, Switzerland. My parents are both musicians so music has been part of my life from a young age. I first began playing the cello, then I slowly turned to create sounds on it. I was fascinated with creating noises that mimicked real-life objects and sounds that you never would think a cello would make. Through my experimentation, I discovered the music of Salvatore Sciarrino.
I then started studying harmony and counterpoint at my local conservatory, which slowly led to learning other disciplines like theory, conducting, and electro-acoustic music.
Through my professors, I became interested in language. I started to explore the relationship between language and its influence on musical grammar.
My interest in film music started when I first watched Solari by Tarkovsky. This film made me realize the power music can have on a film. Vertigo by Alfred Hitchcock with music by Bernard Herrmann and The Sheltering Sky by Bernardo Bertolucci with music by Ryuichi Sakamoto convinced me to pursue writing music for film.
I am currently pursuing my master's in composition and conducting at the Zurich University of the Arts. I was fortunate enough to be able to work with artists from various disciplines such as film, theatre, and games. I enjoy most writing music for theatre and installations.
Liam Diethrich · ScoreLive RunnerUp 2022 USA
Liam Diethrich is a composer and violinist from the Chicago area.
At age thirteen, two of Liam's compositions earned live performances, one written for piano quintet and one for full symphony orchestra. Liam's compositions have won national and international recognition in competitions such as ASCAP, Nafme, MTNA, and the Maurice Ravel International Composition Competition, for which he was the youngest-ever finalist when they held their film scoring competition in 2016.
In 2021, he received first prize in The American Prize competition for the Instrumental Chamber Music category, and was winner of the Juilliard Orchestra Competition. Diethrich’s compositions have been performed and recorded by professional musicians including the Amani Winds, Quintet Attacca, the Juilliard Orchestra, the Kankakee Symphony Orchestra, and the Urbana Pops Orchestra.
Diethrich has studied at the Curtis Institute of Music Young Artist Program, the Atlantic Music Festival, Interlochen Center for the Arts Summer Program, and NYU film/media scoring workshops.
Diethrich is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Music at The Juilliard School and studies with Robert Beaser.
Domina Monriel · GEMS Ambasador 2021Greece
Domina is the music composer as well as the creator & manager of the 2021 acclaimed project “Art Unites Us All”, which was featured on TedxMaviliSquare.
She is also a student of music composition for Film, TV and Video Games at Berklee College of Music (Berklee Online) and, on top of that, she was appointed as the Ambassador of the GEMS Film Game Orchestration Scoring Program Spain 2021 with award-winning Hollywood composers & orchestrators as its leading figures.
She is currently working as the music composer for the short films of the campaign “Exo Epignosi”, whose music is being recorded by the National Radio Symphony Orchestra of Greece (ERT).
As a singer, she is featured in the forthcoming project of Farzin Farhadi,which sets Rumi’s poetry to music.
Finally, in 2019 her first book “Discussions without Name” was published.
Julián Guajardo · Mexico
I am a self-motivated and progress-driven Music Composer with a solid background in my home state. With a long-standing record of initiative and innovation. I'm currently the Head of planning and logistics of the Theater of Arts in the state of Nuevo León in charge of the big operas in the state so collaboration, team efforts, and organizational improvements are always required for the role. In my own time, I compose music for short and feature films.
I am open-minded and focused on new developments in my field. I have proven to be effective and motivational, with proficiency in innovation and collaborative work. I enjoy brainstorming and coordinating efforts to achieve a common goal and I have developed and executed strategies that I believe will bring value to my fellow classmates in the program.
A month ago I released ASTROS, an orquestal album that will become a major live audiovisual production by 2023, the music it's available on Spotify.
As a composer for films I have worked on a few that are soon to be released with titles such as: Los Habitantes (Feature film), Celeste (documentary), Polvo de Montaña (short film), El Juego de Zuzanka (short film).
As a T.V. composer I made the music for La brújula y sus mundos fantásticos TV show that transmits throughout 17 different countries in Latin America on open TV networks reaching more than 7 million people.
My aim as a composer is to be in constant training regarding my field, I wish to never stop learning and to be one of the top music composers in the world (But I guess who doesn't), and to be able to work entirely from composing.
Chrysoulla Markoulli · Australia
Chrysoulla Markoulli is a composer, based in Sydney, Australia, with a passion for telling stories through music and sound. She grew up learning the piano and went on to study a Bachelor of Music (Honours)/Bachelor of Education from the University of New South Wales, graduating with First Class Honours in Composition.
Chrysoulla has been creating with theatre and screen makers since 2016, with clients such as the Australian Theatre for Young People, Belvoir St Theatre, Griffin Theatre Company and ARACOURT Studio. Recent credits include: Tom At The Farm (Play); Burn Witch Burn (Play); Lilac (Play); Before The Meeting (Play); Tell Me Before The Sun Explodes (Play); Mary (Short Film), Hot Mess (Play); My Brilliant Career (Play); Jali (Play), CNUT (Animation Short) and Barnacle Face (Short Film).
Through her professional experiences and opportunities as a freelance composer in the industry so far, she has found a love for collaboration and serving others through her music. She believes in approaching every story with a blank slate and keeping an open mind with her approach, in order to bring each creative vision to life with a unique edge. In addition to her work as a composer, she enjoys sharing her passion for composition with others through teaching and as a mentor for the Artology Fanfare Competition.
Her music has been acknowledged through several nominations and awards including: Best Composition and Sound Design for an Independent Production (Nominee; Sydney Theatre Awards, 2021), Best Original Score (Runner-up; ScoreLive Competition 2020), Best Sound Design - Play (Nominee; Broadway World Australia Sydney Awards, 2018), Best Original Score by a Tertiary Student (Winner; The Glories of the Score Competition, 2017) and Best Original Fanfare (Winner; Artology Fanfare Competition, 2016).
Chrysoulla is excited to be participating in this year’s GEMS Film Scoring Summer Program and learn from the best in the industry. She is eager to further her knowledge and skills in composition, in order to fulfil her dream of becoming a full time professional film composer.
Sergio Llopis · Spain
Born in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Sergio started piano at a very young age receiving a European Exhibition award in 2006 by the Trinity College of London. He then went on to study Popular Music and Recording at the University of Salford, Manchester and completed his Master’s Degree in Orchestration for Film, TV and Videogames at the University of Chichester.
Sergio has composed music for various short films, documentaries, comercials and videogames in Spain including clients such as Spotify, Rafa Nadal Foundation, IB3 (Balearic Islands Television), including themes and music for local news, and many others. His music has been played by various orchestras in Mallorca, but also recorded by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra where the music recorded was composed for a videogame (Northern Lights).
The last projects he has worked on this year include a Documentary about “Altea” for “LA 2” TVE (Television Española) recorded by an orchestra in Mallorca and also the music for the Short Film “FIONA” directed by award wining spanish director Rafa Cortes.
Matteo Maria Salvo · Spain
I’m Matteo Maria Salvo, an Italian composer born in Rome and living near Bologna. I’m strongly passionate about everything is music, cinema and art. Since I was a child I’m trying to create my own path through music, at the beginning with the study of Piano then primarily in Composition, which has quickly become my major. In the last years I’ve composed both music for instruments and electronics, music for documentaries and a short film, program music, music for festivals and theaters.
I primarily studied composition with Gilberto Cappelli (Luigi Nono’s pupil) from whom I learned how expression and authenticity in music are so important, as in life. I studied moreover Choir Conducting and Film Music in Conservatory of Bologna. I’ve had the honour to meet the composer Luis Bacalov, from whom I was awarded a Merit Diploma during my studies in Accademia Chigiana. I’ve studied with G. F. Haas, Christopher Austin (from whom I was awarded the Sir Peter Maxwell Davies Prize), Carlo Crivelli, Kurt Schwertsik, Alessandro Solbiati. I distinguished myself in competitions such us International Composing Competition 2 Agosto, Concorso Internazionale di Composizione Papa Benedetto XIV, International Composing Competition Maurice Ravel.
My compositions were played in institutions such as Casa del Cinema (Rome), Accademia Chigiana, Mozarteum, Sala Accademica del Pontificio Istituto di Musica Sacra, Teatro Pergolesi, Concert Hall of Lviv Philarmonic and in festivals such as Italia Green Film Festival, Festival Pontino, MusciRivaFestival, Religion Today Film Festival, Livorno Music Festival, KLK New Music. Among the artists who performed my music Maria Grazia Bellocchio, ContempoArtEnsemble, Lviv Philarmonic, Kai Strobel, Maurizio Ben Omar, Orchestra B. Maderna, Olga Arzilli.
Recently I’ve created the music for documentaries about nature and I’m currently composing the music for the short animation film “Tirello” (director Alberto Cosentino). I’ve composed music for exhibitions and art installations under the patronage of the Comune of Bologna. I’ve studied Architecture at the University of Bologna and in my spare time I love – besides composing - to paint, especially mixed media on canvas. My first solo exhibition, Dream, has took place this year near Bologna.
My dream is to build up my path through film music and to have the opportunity to meet new and stimulating people with my same interests, and of course incredible composers.
I would love to discuss my works and be able to grow more and more in my musical sensibility and in my musical career.